NPCIL, Bhel, Alstom joint venture to be finalised soon

MUMBAI: The tripartite joint venture agreement between state-run Bhel, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and Alstom of France is likely to be finalised soon.

"The joint venture agreement with Alstom and Bhel is in the final stages of discussions and is likely to be finalised soon," a senior NPCIL official, who did not wish to be named, told reporters on the sidelines of the India Nuclear Energy Summit here today.

Alstom's Indian arm APIL, power equipment maker Bhel and NPCIL are setting up the JV to provide technical support and supply turbines to domestic nuclear power projects.

"Alstom will be providing its IPR and along with Bhel, they will be building the equipment here," the official said.

All the parties will be equal equity partners in the JV, which will initially supply turbine generators to eight units of 700 mw each being developed by NPCIL, he said.

The country is developing eight nuclear reactors of 700 mw each based on heavy water technology for the projects coming up in Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Of these, four are already under various stages of completion and they are likely to be operational by 2017, he said.

Besides the indigenous projects, the JV will also be looking at the nuclear projects being developed in pursuance of the India-US nuclear deal. The proposal is to develop about 36 units of over 1,000 mw at six sites with support from the US, Russia and France.